The Routes We Take
by FluffyDireBunny
Summary: "We should keep in touch, get together at least once a year!" So a promise was made. What type of gatherings will these turn out to be? How will the world change around them? Series about the gang during their annual get-together meetings. Rated -M- for future chapters, Yurita.
1. Prelude of things to come

Disclaimer: Tales of Vesperia is copyrighted by Bandai Namco Games.

No profit is made from this. Should its removal be requested

by copyright holders, I will instantly do so.

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A Tales of Vesperia-story

The Routes We Take

by:

FluffyDireBunny

Chapter One

"Prelude of things to come"

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It was a clear and sunny day outside. Trees swayed lazily in the slight breeze, birds chirped merrily whilst flying around and insects buzzed in their daily routines. It was a calm day in the city, things had started to settle down nicely after the crisis, which threatened the entire Terca Lumires about a year ago, had been averted. Cities slowly rebuild and even new cities and towns came to be marked on the maps.

As the sun reached a certain degree in the sky, its rays shone brightly through the one window in Yuri Lowell's room. He was lying on his bed, one hand behind his head, the other automatically rose to cover his eyes from the now, blinding light. He sat up with a swing, smiling slightly after a good rest. He made his way outside and continued smiling, not noticing it until now. _"Guess I'm really looking forward to the gathering after all.."_ he surprised himself. He wasn't one to enjoy crowds but thinking about seeing his comrades, his friendsfor the first time in a long while was a very appealing thought. It seemed that his long time canine companion agreed, as he swung his tail excitedly.

For the past year Yuri had been keeping himself busy, traveling around the world with Repede, helping people to start anew and mostly to actually now have the time and absorb the beauty around him from all the corners of Terca Lumires. The swordsman had been all over during their groups adventures to save the world but he hadn't really stopped and marveled anything during that time. Too busy had their journey been with the constant battles, discovering new information and occasionally saving Estellise.

Before their group had dispersed, it was decided that they'd hold a small get-together annually so that they wouldn't completely lose track of each other. Estelle had returned to the Imperial capital, the struggle on who should rule it still going on between her and Ioder. Well, not really between them, but the nobles supporting them. It was all a bit too much politics for Yuri, so he gladly stayed out of that mess, and it seemed Estelle and Ioder were not too happy about the situation either.

Flynn of course followed the pink haired princess where ever she went and it seemed that something might be brewing behind the curtains between those two. Flynn had of course absolutely denied it after Yuri's slight remark on the matter and the two had considered the subject dropped. It was not Yuri's business anyways, he was just glad if things worked out for them. He was aware that Estelle had developed some feelings for him during their travel, but he just wasn't capable of seeing himself as anything but a brother and a protector for the princess. She was also a bit too naïve and certainly too goodhearted for him, not that he hadn't noticed her growth as a person. She really had changed a lot during their travels, and was not nearly as naïve as then, but still managed to retain her pure innocence even after all they'd seen. He admired her for that.

The old man somehow still managed to play his two roles as Raven and Captain Schwann, mediating between the Empire and the guilds. Though relations between these two groups were significantly improved during the world threatening crisis, there were still cracks rifting between them, old wounds taking their time to heal. However, the old man seemed like the perfect man to act in bringing these two groups together which in all honesty, seemed really strange to Yuri, he had not thought the man had it in him with his callous attitude.

The gorgeous Kritiyan woman, Judith, had also taken the life of a constant traveler, riding with Ba'ul around the world. Yuri had occasionally bumped into her on their travels, they'd share their stories in an inn, usually also shearing a hearty meal together and parting ways after, knowing they'd meet again sooner or later.

In Dahngrest, Karol maintained his position as Brave Vesperias leader. He had recruited some new members but was careful that they wouldn't grow to a size too big. He wanted to build a strong guild but decided that he'd focus on quality over quantity, which Yuri fully agreed on. _"I want people that I can trust here, the guild is like a family!" _Karol had said. _"It's not about numbers, it's about knowing you'll be able to count on the people beside you! If there are too many.. I don't think I'd be able to get to know them well enough for that." _Yuri was proud of how much the boy had grown, as a person and as a leader. Though very young in age, the small group now forming around him all seemed to respect the boy. Karol still maintained his good personality and was slowly overcoming his cowardice, seeming to want to set a good example.

Rita returned to Aspio, now studying the spirits released when Adephagos was destroyed. She had gained respect among the elderly researchers but was still slightly shunned for her eccentric character. She was too busy to be bothered by this though, the study of Mana taking full priority in her mind.

Yuri missed all of them. He was glad that the meeting was only a few days away, though that meant that he could no longer just lounge around all day, he really needed to get going if he was to make it in time. Repede seemed to agree as he barked with, what seemed to be an annoyed expression, and started strolling ahead, seemingly knowing that Yuri would follow closely behind.

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Night had descended, and the two companions had decided to set up camp. In Yuri's opinion, they had covered a good deal of ground since they started in the morning. They were now somewhere around Ehmead Hill, having come past Halure some hours ago. The fire crackled audibly in the bonfire, echoing back from the tall hills. Yuri threw a couple of more sticks to the fire, Repede was laying next to his feet and yawned, almost dropping his pipe. "You know Repede." the man started. "You don't have to stay on watch. Why don't I do that tonight, after all, you were almost always our vigilant watchdog a year ago."

The dog yawned again, indicating that he would take Yuri on his advice for now, though being a dog as he was, he never actually reached a sleep as deep as a human would. As Repede's sides started moving more calmly, Yuri smiled warmly. The dog had been a companion to him longer that anyone else and also seemed to know him better than anyone. Repede had been his witness and comfort during some of his more darker moments, like killing Ragou. Moments like that had changed Yuri slightly, it had changed the way people around him see him, but it was the route he had chosen and regretted none of it.

Something ruffled the bushes around their camp, Yuri keening his senses to be alert for an attack. Repede rose to his feet as well and growled to their right. A squirrel jumped from a tree to another, stopping to chew on a nut it had picked up from the tree. Yuri let out a breath of relief and chuckled quietly. "I hop it's not planning to do that to our heads."

Repede whined and laid back down, obviously not appreciating Yuri's stupid joke.

"Sorry." the man apologized. It would take a few more days of traveling to reach Dahngrest, the city they had decided as their meeting place for the first year. Yuri wondered how the others were traveling, hoping that no one was as reckless as to travel alone. Karol obviously was safe, not needing to travel as everyone was heading towards him. Judith was flying with Ba'ul, Raven was probably in Dahngrest as well and Estelle was most likely escorted by Flynn and a handful of guards. Their routes might cross during their travel, they were taking the same route after all. He might also run across Rita, since the only route she could take was to go through Halure and Ehmead Hill to reach the port city of Capua Nor. Yuri smiled slightly, recalling how his first visit to these hills had been. They were running from the Imperial guard and had to take a side road through the forests. They had also just missed Judith destroying the blastia. Rita had been so furious, rambling how she'd beat the dragon rider to a stain on the ground. She had been rather cute actually, raving in her maniacal way. Actually, Rita always seemed to be cute when she got angry and/or flustered.

Yuri had come to accept the fact that he was drawn to the genius mage, few of her gender owned such an aura of confidence and determination. She was charming in her own eccentric and violent way and very cute as well. The only problem was her age, though very mature for her age, Rita had had been only fifteen (almost sixteen) during their travels and was now turning seventeen in a while. It's not like he was old or anything, now twenty two, but the age gap might be a bit too large for his comfort zone. He didn't really care what other people thought and was sure Rita didn't either, but he wasn't sure about the responsibility that came with starting a relationship with an adolescent, still developing into a woman. _"That is, assuming she even feels anything like that towards me.."_ For now, Yuri was just content on looking.

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It was well beyond afternoon when Yuri and Repede reached Capua Nor. They headed straight to the docks, reserving a passage for the next ship heading across the bay, to Capua Torim. They had a few hours to wait, so the duo headed to the markets, not really looking for anything but just spending time, checking out what the stalls had to offer. All sorts of edibles were displayed, fish, vegetables and there were even a few stalls that served food. Feeling slightly hungry, the swordsman decided to spend the remaining time by grabbing something to eat. "So, what are we having?" Yuri asked his canine companion. Repede merely barked in response. "Alright Clam chowder it is!" As they were walking towards a stall serving seafood, Repede stopped his usual stride, sniffed the air a little and bolted off. "Hey!" the man yelled, reaching a hand towards the now fleeting swish of bluish fur. "Repede! Where you going?!"

Yuri lost track of him but was able to hear the dog bark a little ahead of him. He tried his best to follow the sound, though it was a little difficult to detect through all the hustle and bustle of the markets. Finally seeing Repede near the entrance of the Inn, Yuri calmly walked towards him. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously, seeing the dog standing on it's hind legs from afar. As he got a closer look, Yuri could see Repede towering over something, or rather, someone, licking the persons face affectionately. "Wow, looks like he's missed someone!" Yuri laughed, now having a perfect view of what was happening.

"Get your stupid mutt outta my face!" an angry scream echoed from below all that fur.

"Ouch! You're gonna hurt his feelings if you're not careful." the man winced, though a smirk crept its way to his mouth.

Repede stepped away whining slightly, displaying his saddened state.

"Oh don't you start!" Rita commanded with frightening authority. "You're just faking it."

Still not cheering up, Repede stayed hunched over, as if wounded.

"You're not fooling me!" the fiery mage proclaimed, emphasizing her point by sharply placing her hands on her hips.

Yuri stepped forward slightly, smiling. "Hey to you too." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Rita returned her greeting and smiled warmly, captivating Yuri who was caught off-guard by such a display. His hand lingered on her shoulder for a little too long, since the next second, Rita was yelling him to back the hell away, calling him a pervert amongst other charming names. Unfazed by her tantrum, Yuri simply removed his hand and asked if Rita would like to join them for a meal.

"Sure." Rita answered and started walking in her usual confident stride.

"Um.."

"What?!" the mage turned around in annoyance and noticed that neither Yuri nor Repede had moved.

"The food stall is this way." Yuri smiled brightly, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

A small, embarrassed blush rose to Rita's face. "I.. I knew that!" she stammered slightly and looked at the ground to hide her reddened cheeks. "Let's go." the mage said, walking past them quickly, her confidence returning once she was sure that her two friends were unable to see her face from behind her.

"Yes ma'am!" Yuri saluted her passing figure, a mock smile on his face. Repede let out a single, loud bark.

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"We should reach Capua Torim by nightfall." Yuri said, his voice laced slightly with concern. He was still little surprised about Rita's fear of the sea. He couldn't have imagined her being scared by anything, least of all seafaring. Luckily the mage's fear wasn't as great as her fear of heights and flying.

Rita nodded quietly and pulled her knees towards her chest. She was sitting below deck on one of the crates in the cargo hold. For some reason, the room seemed to be the most stable place to be on the ship, easing her constantly rising motion-sickness.

"So, how you planning to continue you journey?" Yuri asked, standing next to her and leaning on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Rita looked at him with raised eyebrows, clearly not quite understanding the question, so he continued. "I mean, you want to hook up with me?"

The small mage looked away and had shock plastered all over her cute face, a blush slowly rising to her cheeks. Yuri only now realized how his question must have sounded so he quickly rephrased. "I mean with me and Repede! You know, walk the rest of the way together."

"Um, sure." Rita nodded, though the blush still slightly adorned her face. "I mean, you're still an idiot but I guess I can tolerate your presence for now." she quickly continued, a huff escaping her lips.

"Alright." Yuri nodded, not taken aback by her small outburst. He had come accustomed to them during their long journey, even grown to like them. "I was thinking, maybe we should keep going for a while more after we reach the shore."

"I don't mind, though we won't reach Heliord for a while."

The swordsman shrugged. "We can always set up camp outdoors if you get tired."

"Me?" Rita asked in an high pitch tone. "Tired?" she raised her hands before her head, palms facing up. "Who do you think you're talking to here?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot." Yuri smiled in response. "I guess you're sea-sickness is managing to keep that temper of yours in check."

"Wha-whatever!" Rita stammered, again blushing. She pulled her legs tighter against herself, burying her head in her knees in the process.

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"Alright, we'll set up camp here." Yuri stated, suddenly pulling to a stop.

"Why?" Rita asked, looking behind her over her shoulder. "I haven't tired out yet!"

"No, but I have." the man responded, already starting to rummage his backpack for the tent. "Make yourself useful and gather some wood, will you."

"What?!" the mage retorted. "What am I? You're personal woodcutter?!"

"It'll be a cold night without a fire, wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Yuri said gently, still keeping himself busy with the tent.

"Hmph, fine!" Rita stormed off, mumbling something under her breath. Repede followed her silently, making sure to keep her safe in the darkness of the night surrounding them. Not that she wasn't capable of handling herself but just in case she got lost or something.

Not long after, the small mage returned with an armful of stick and branches and dropped them down next to Yuri's feet. "What, there's only one tent?" she asked in surprise. "There's no way hell I'm sharing a tent with you!" she screamed, pointing an accusing finger towards Yuri.

"Why not?" he shrugged. "It's not like we haven't shared a room before."

"Tha-that's different! We shared the room with everyone! Now it's just us two!

"Is there a problem with that?" Yuri asked smugly, though his heartbeat did accelerate slightly at the thought. "It's not like there's anything indecent about it, is there?"

"The hell there isn't!" Rite yelled loudly.

"Nah, after all, you're still just a kid." Yuri shrugged and added some sticks to the beginnings of their bonfire.

Rita stood quietly, her arms firmly glued to her sides, her fists clenching and unclenching in a repetitive motion. She looked away, her bangs falling on her face to cover her eyes. "I.. I am not a child anymore." she said silently.

Yuri looked at the young woman before her, her expression hidden but her body language spoke volumes. She was shaking slightly, from anger or sadness, the man wasn't quite sure. He was sure though, that he had upset her. Even now Rita looked beautiful, the warm light emitting from the fire dancing on her body, creating darker, mesmerizing shadows on her silhouette. "Alright, I think it's best if we retire for the night."

Still seemingly quite upset, Rita didn't respond verbally but did walk to the tent. Yuri sighed, he hadn't intended to upset her. He was most likely just trying (but failing miserably) to convince himself that, that is how he still saw her, as a child. He wasn't fooled. He walked slightly away from the camp, his bladder indicating that it was time for him to relieve himself. After unbuttoning the front of his trousers and pulling out his manhood, he sighed contently as he emptied himself amidst the bushes. He looked over his shoulder towards the camp and instantly regretted it. His eyes caught a glimpse of Rita's silhouette through the fabric of the tent, the fire behind it almost making it see-through. It appeared Rita was just changing into something more comfortable as he glimpsed the side of her profile, her arms above her as she was pulling off her tunic, her small, perky breasts pointing slightly upwards as the soft skin around them was pulled up as she raised her arms and- _"Dammit!"_ Yuri cursed inwardly and quickly looked away. He knew he was going to have trouble sleeping tonight.

He walked quietly to the tent, thinking twice about sleeping outside on the ground. He decided against it, recalling the few times he had done so and waking up as stiff as a stick, his muscles aching all over from the lack of comfort and warmth. He slid the entrance of the tent open and quickly entered, not wanting to let cold in too much. He released the sash he had over his tunic and pulled the garment off, placing it somewhere close to his feet. If Rita was still awake, she hadn't indicated any protest of him sleeping next to her, quite close to her in fact, it's not like there was very much room in the tent. He laid down on his back and looked next to him at his friend, whose back was turned towards him. Yuri smiled, even from behind like this, Rita looked cute. Her hair was slightly ruffled and she breathed quietly and calmly, appearing to be asleep. She turned around on her back. Yuri watched her, his tongue watering at the sight of her. The mage had an uncharacteristic, serene expression on her face, her pink lips slightly parted as she breathed through her mouth. Her other arm was lazily lying above her head while the other rested on her tummy, her now quite exposed tummy. Her shirt had risen slightly, revealing some of her creamy skin, her small, taunt but feminine abs, her small navel, her.. _"Dammit!"_ Yuri cursed again, this was going to be a long night.

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A/N: Alright, first chapter out! I'm planning to make this fic somewhere around 5-10 chapters long, so not too short nor too long. Yuri and Rita centric, in case that somehow went unnoticed.

Liked what you read? No? Then press the review button and write me some feedback.

Would be nice to know if this is worth continuing. Thanks for reading!

-FluffyDireBunny-


	2. Get-together in Dahngrest

Disclaimer: Tales of Vesperia is copyrighted by Bandai Namco Games.

No profit is made from this. Should its removal be requested

by copyright holders, I will instantly do so.

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOO OoooOOOoooOOO

A Tales of Vesperia-story

The Routes We Take

by:

FluffyDireBunny

Chapter Two

"Get-together in Dahngrest"

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Next morning, Yuri was already outside before the sun rose to the sky. He was making a simple sandwich breakfast, hoping to have it done by the time his mage friend woke up. Surprisingly, the night had been rather uneventful, if not counting waking up occasionally to Rita's restless sleeping habits, her touching him during her spinning and turning and the small morning boner no doubt caused by the said unintentional touches. Yuri solely wished that the fiery blooded girl had not noticed it and was quite sure that she hadn't, she seemed to be a heavy sleeper. As the eggs were slowly cooked to perfection on the remains of their campfire, Yuri pulled them away, placing them between two slices of bread. He approached the tent and carefully slid the doorway open. "Rita, it's morning."

"Mmhmm.." The girl mumbled in her sleep.

The way her small, soft lips turned into a pout and the way her eyes closed tighter, her brow furrowing together, making small wrinkles appearing between them was an overload of cuteness to Yuri's senses, making him hesitate waking her up. He was afraid she wouldn't wake up just by talking or by yelling to her, heaven forbid he might have to touch her. "Rita Mordiooo!" he raised his voice an octave.

"Nnnhh.." she sighed quietly and suddenly whipped her arm towards the entrance and Yuri.

Luckily the man had outstanding reflexes as a fireball whipped past him, fortunately flying out of the tent instead of setting it on fire. "Hey, that was dangerous!" he yelled loudly.

"Mmwha?" Rita asked sleepily as she sat up, one eye barely cracking open.

The skilled swordsman sighed deeply. "Breakfast is ready, so get up."

"Oh, okay.. If I must." the genius mage somehow still managed to bring up her temperament apparent, even in her tired state.

Yuri couldn't help but to smile carefully, loving how even her rude answers and retorts managed to make his heart race a little faster. He knew that behind all that tough exterior laid a kind and caring individual, which unfortunately surfaced quite rarely. Sure Rita was hot-headed and stubborn, quick to act without thinking and only a _little_ violent but she still managed to surprise Yuri every now and then with her worry over others, mostly Estelle. His trail of thought was halted as something hit his forehead with an audible thud.

"Are you listening to me?!" Rita yelled, her expression a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Yuri looked at the object thrown at him, now laying next to his feet. "A boot?" he stated, rising his irises to look at Rita, a smirk finding its way to his lips.

"N-never mind that!" the mage stammered, obviously even more flustered. "Get out now!" she said, reaching for her other shoe.

"Alright, I'm going." Yuri wasn't entirely sure what had just happened but figured that she had asked him to leave before her footwear found its mark on his head. He could slightly hear Rita mumbling something to herself in the tent, ogling and perv were amongst her vocabulary.

Soon after, the girl emerged from their sleeping place, sitting herself beside Yuri on the ground. He handed her the sandwich which she started nibbling on quietly. He had already finished his own, so he got up to back up the camp. "Guess we'll reach Dahngrest by evening." Yuri stated to no one in particular. "It'll be nice to see everyone again."

"Yeah." Rita smiled, finishing the last bites of her breakfast. "I mean, it'll be a pain but I guess I should keep my promise."

"Your promise?"

"Hmph, to meet with you guys, of course!"

"Ah." Yuri nodded. "It's great that you came."

A small blush erupted on the mage's face. "A-anyway, we'd probably best get going."

Yuri and Repede agreed and the trio set out to continue their journey.

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The rest of the way was luckily traveled quickly, Yuri and Rita spending their time recalling the adventure their little gang had traversed a little more than an year ago. As soon as the trio arrived in Dahngrest, Rita retired to the inn, leaving Yuri and Repede strolling around the city.

"What do you think, Repede?" Yuri smiled at his long time canine companion. "Shall we go pay Karol a visit?"

The bluish furred dog barked his response like always, but the way his tail swayed from side to side indicated that he too was a little excited of seeing their friend.

"Alright." the swordsman's smile brightened.

They made their way through the streets, occasionally being greeted by passers by who recognized them. It wasn't a long trek to their guild's base and Yuri stepped in. The building wasn't anything remarkable, a small, sturdy wooden structure with just enough space to house the members of Brave Vesperia. There was also a small kitchen, a meeting hall and of course a small bathroom. The hall had a few groups of people gathered around tables to share an evening meal and Yuri waved at them for a greeting. Some of them he recognized but few were new faces to him. "Karol anywhere here?" he asked a small group of his new comrades.

"Yeah, in the kitchen I think.." one youth responded, obviously not knowing whom he was speaking to. "What's that to you?"

"Idiot!" another young man seated around the table scolded the youth. "Sorry Yuri, seems we should be teaching them manners as well!" he nodded with an apology.

Yuri waved it off, not having minded. "Guess I'll go see how the boss is doing." Repede followed closely behind him. As the got to the kitchen door, they could see Karol busily preparing a meal. "Hot date lined up?" Yuri smirked as Karol turned around, surprised plastered across his young face.

"Yuri!" the boy beamed brightly as he made his way to hug his friend.

"Whoa easy there Captain!" Yuri laughed but returned the hug a bit uncomfortably, patting Karol's back.

"You made it!" the youngster smiled. "I didn't think you'd come until tomorrow like everyone else!"

"I thought it would be nice to get some shut eye before tomorrows activities."

"Yeah, I guess." Karol laughed.

"That is, assuming you have anything planned?" Yuri asked. "You are this years host after all."

"Oh don't worry about that!" the boy smiled. "I have a few ideas."

"Good to know." Yuri smiled. "Besides, I thought it might be nice to catch up on things here, you know, not having everyone else around. Just the guild."

"That sounds great!" Karol seemed literally to glow with enthusiasm but suddenly looked deflated. "Oh man.. I was supposed to have dinner with Nan."

"So you did have a date lined up?" the swordsman smirked and laughed at Karol's best efforts to dispel his beliefs. "It's fine, we'll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow. Have fun!" Yuri said with finality, deciding to retire to the inn for tonight.

As he and Repede made their way to the inn, Yuri could barely contain his smile. He was glad that their group was getting together again, just like old days. Even if it was just for a few short days. The swordsman walked to the counter at the inn and pulled out his coin purse.

"It'll be 300 gald for the night." the inn-keep stated.

Yuri paid him and suddenly wondered why he hadn't stayed at their HQ for the night. It seemed that the person before him had the exact same thought.

"Why the hell are you staying here?" Rita yelled as Yuri entered the sleeping quarters. "You got kicked out, or something?"

"Nah." Yuri shrugged. "I just miss your lovely personality when you're not around.." he said without skipping a beat. Obviously having shocked or angered the young mage in the same room, the man made his way to a bed next to hers when she made no protest.

"Wha-whatever!" Rita huffed and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. "And why are you laying down on that bed?!" she continued in outrage. "There's a perfectly good bed right over there!"

Yuri followed the line her finger was pointing and his eyes landed on the single, lonely bed at the other side of the room. "But there's a perfectly good bed right here."

Rita took a sharp intake of breath but before she could protest any further, Yuri interrupted her.

"We're all adults here, right?" he stated with a grin on his face. "We could start acting like ones." he loved how Rita's face changed from outrage to confusion then to understanding and finally a deep shaded blush adorned her face in embarrassment. "Well, good night then."

"Do you.. mean it?" the mage asked quietly in the darkness of the room.

Yuri had already laid down on his bed and could see the silhouette of Rita's figure sitting on her own bed before the window of the room, the moonlight showering her in an ethereal glow. She looked heavenly and her voice had sounded so gentle, yet so insecure that Yuri didn't know quite what to make of it. "Mean what?" he asked stoically, trying his best to keep his cool.

Rita sat there silently for a while and Yuri sorely wished she'd break the silence. He was afraid he'd taken his nonchalant attitude a little overboard, afraid he'd managed to hurt Rita, afraid that he might never-

"Nothing." Rita's said calmly and plopped down on the bed, burying her face in her pillow.

The mage's words echoed in Yuri's mind. It was a simple, single word which didn't leave much room for misinterpretation but Yuri wondered just how much meaning it had. _"Nothing.."_ his mind whispered to himself. _Nothing.. she had nothing to say after all? What nothing? Did I mean what?"_ He shook his head slightly, wanting to get rid of these thoughts if not for anything else, than to get some sleep. _"Nothing.. I am nothing? Do I really mean that little to you? No, I'm just over thinking this like always. Nothing.."_

Yuri closed his eyes tightly, hoping that by morning, all this would be forgotten.

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Next morning, the vigilante woke up still feeling tired. He hadn't slept very well but still felt invigorated by the knowledge he'd see his friends today. He got up and adorned himself in his tunic. He tied the sash tight around his waist and headed out the room with Repede silently following him. It seemed Rita had already woken up as she was nowhere to be seen. Yuri descended the stairs and made his way outside, remembering to thank the inn-keep on his way out.

It looked like a bright day was developing, sun already having climbed quite high in the sky. There seemed to be no clouds either and the weather was surprisingly stagnant, considering their proximity to the sea. Feeling a bit peckish, Yuri decided to go grab something to eat at the Sagittarius Tavern. As he entered, he could already feel his mouth watering with the delicious aroma hanging in the air. He walked to the counter and ordered some breakfast.

"Beats having to cook for myself every now and then." he stated to himself quietly and dug in. The tavern was relatively empty, most likely attracting more customers in the evening. He didn't mind though, better than having to stand a huge crowd. After finishing his food, he thanked the waitress and couldn't help but to chuckle quietly as he made his exit. He recalled the time they made Rita take on a part-time waitress job here, their group desperately needing the gald for better equipment and such. His blood flow accelerated slightly as he recalled the uniform Rita had earned from all her hard work. Those cute cat ears and an apron adorned with a pawn print, not to mention the skirt that was just slightly too short, not that Yuri didn't appreciate the eye candy. She even used to make those little feline sounds like meow and sometimes she even hissed. _"I wonder what it would take to make her purr..?"_ Yuri quickly shook those ideas from his mind before he completely lost control of himself.

"I wonder what Karol has in mind for today?" he asked out loud, looking at Repede. The dog yawned, not seeming to care in the least. "That enthusiastic are you?" the canine whined. "Ok, let's go see what he's up to."

The long time companions made their way through the crowded streets of Dahngrest. Though it was relatively early in the morning, the streets seemed to be teeming with life.

"Heya there, younglings!" a familiar voice greeted them from behind.

Yuri stopped his movement but didn't turn around.

"What? After all this time I still get the cold shoulder?"

"Yeah, yeah." Yuri sighed and turned around. "What's up old man?"

Raven bent down from his waist. "That's all I get, huh?" he asked and stood up straight again. "After all we went through together.." he went on in his usual manner, feigning his hurt. Yuri didn't flinch and only ignored him harder. "Now you've gone and hurt this old man's feelings."

The swordsman let out an exaggerated breath. "Alright, it's good to see you again."

"What?!" Raven said in shock. "Where's the enthusiasm? Where's the happiness? I'm sure you two missed good 'ol Raven terribly!" the archer continued. "However did you manage so long without me?"

"We got by." Yuri smiled.

Repede let out an annoyed whine.

"Even you pooch?" Raven stated, feeling deflated. "Anyway, what are you two up to?"

"We were just gonna go check on Karol."

"Ah, I haven't seen the youngster today, might be still sleeping." Raven reasoned. He too had joined Brave Vesperia, Altosk didn't feel quite the same without the Don. He was happy enough now, helping Karol run the guild when time let him. Mediating between the Empire and the guilds kept him rather busy though, so he wasn't able to spend time in Dahngrest all that much. "Wanna go grab something to drink?"

"This early? I don't think I'd be able to stay awake till afternoon with your pace." Yuri laughed slightly.

"Ah youth these day, no stamina I tell you.." Raven sighed. "So, seen anyone else yet?"

"Well I met Karol yesterday and Rita is somewhere here as well. Haven't seen the others yet."

"Hmm.." Raven seemed to disappear into his own, twisted thoughts while scratching his stubby beard. "I think I'll go find our genius mage and annoy her like always. That's fun."

"What's fun?!"

Raven froze. By the look on Yuri's face, he could guess who had appeared behind his back. "Um, nothing." he tried.

"Uh-huh." Rita nodded. "You're just as annoying as ever old man!" she huffed as she came to stand before the two.

"Wow.." Raven sighed. "Looks like you've all.. grown up." he smiled goofily, tip-toeing closer to sneak a peek at her grown, albeit small cleavage.

"Try it and I'll beat you senseless!" the mage yelled, emphasizing her point by shaking her fist at him. Even though she was mad as hell right now, she couldn't help but to let a small blush break out on her face. She wasn't used to someone making observations about her body, least of all now in it's developing stage.

The blush didn't go unnoticed by Yuri, nor did Raven's little trick. He sighed but somehow couldn't help but to feel a little bit jealous.

"And what are you looking at?!" Rita shouted, pointing at Yuri accusingly. "Don't you even think about pulling something like that!"

"Me?" Yuri smirked. "Never."

"Right." Rita rolled her eyes. " 'Cause you're as pure as a dove!"

"That I am." the young man kept smirking, loving every minute of this banter. He did start to wonder what she'd do if he really did try something like Raven had. Seeing Raven on his knees on the ground, holding the top of his head in pain quickly washed such thoughts from Yuri's mind. For now at least.

"There you are!" Karol shouted happily as he came running towards the group. "Raven?" he observed and was just about to ask what happened to him before catching sight of Rita as well. "Still as violent as ever, huh?" he stated a bit too soon, realizing that it was probably a mistake to do so. He was proven correct as he too fell down on his knees, having been struck by the fiery young mage. "Ouch! Hey that hurt!"

Rita crossed her arms. "Idiot."

"Go easy on them." Yuri smiled. "Would be quite a sad reunion if two of as are down from brain damage."

"Hmph, as if." the mage huffed. "These two are too stubborn for anything like that to affect them."

"True enough." the swordsman nodded. "So, where are we off to Captain?"

Karol rubbed the top of his head. "I was thinking we could all gather at the headquarters. It'll be easy to find everyone there."

"True." Yuri nodded. "It seems we're only missing Estelle and Judith."

"Women do have a habit of making men wait." Raven said while placing his hands behind his neck. Soon he found himself on the ground again, his head pounding in pain.

"What am I then?!" Rita yelled. "Or did you just forget about me standing right here next to you?"

"Sorry Miss. Ol' Raven didn't mean any offense." the man apologized as he stood up again.

"Seriously Rita, go easy on them." Yuri pleaded and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "The old man could kick the bucket any second now and you beating him up isn't helping things."

"Like I care!"

"Rita!"

The group turned around to locate the source of the familiar voice that sounded from their behind.

"Yuri, Karol!" Estelle noted cheerily as she raced towards the group. "Repede!" she smiled at the hound and went to pet him. The dog trotted off, still not letting the young woman pet him it seemed. Slightly bummed by this, Estelle quieted down but still walked her way to the group.

"What?!" Raven asked loudly. "Even the dog gets a greeting but what about me?!"

The Princess smiled warmly like always. "Hello everyone, I've missed you!"

"Lady Estellise! Wait for me!" a blonde haired man rushed after her.

"Flynn?!" It was Yuri's time to be a little shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's not like we can let her highness travel alone through the country, now can we?" Flynn smiled, obviously pleased with himself for having shocked his long time friend and rival.

"I asked Flynn to be my escort, he is the most familiar of the knights to us." Estelle explained.

"I don't mind." Karol smiled. He reasoned that as he was this years host, no one could object. Obviously this didn't matter but still, none disproved of the knights presence. He was a friend to some of the group at least.

"It's settled then." the pink haired woman smiled and clapped her hands together before her chest. "Where's Judith?"

"She's not here yet." the young boy answered.

"Hmph, you'd think she'd be the first to arrive. Flying on that dragon of hers." Rita stated, her tone laced with venom. It was not like she hated the woman, not anymore. But she still felt a little resentment towards her from Judith's days as the Dragon Rider, for destroying all those blastia. Rita knew now that she had acted in the best interests of the world but hadn't known that at the time, so Judith's actions had caused some mistrust in the mage's eyes.

"As if on cue." Raven smirked, seeing the giant Entelexeia hovering in the air not far from the city. "So, what do we do now that everyone's here?"

"Well.." Karol said as they waited for Judith to land. "I've got a few ideas, if they're okay with everyone?"

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"Monster hunting, huh?" Yuri smirked, quite liking the idea.

"Are you stupid, or what?!" Rita yelled, making Karol cover behind Yuri. "Sounds exactly like something this runt would come up with!"

Estelle fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "Um, I don't know.. I've never actually enjoyed fighting that much."

"It'll be fun." Judith said in her characteristic singsong voice, smiling slightly.

Raven stepped forward and pointed his thumb on his chest confidently. "You girls just leave everything to ol' Raven! There's nothing to worry about when I'm here!"

Rita clenched her fist and swung at the older scoundrel, who much to the girls dismay managed to dodge the incoming strike.

"Whoa!" the archer said, still crouching in his dodge. "You really got to watch that attitude of yours girl!"

"Whatever!" Rita huffed, closing her eyes defiantly. She crossed her arms in her usual manner and slightly turned away from the man.

"Anyway.." Karol hesitated slightly, his insecurities surfacing like old times. "I really hadn't come up with.. anything else, so.."

"It's fine." Yuri comforted him by placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "So how do we go about doing this?"

Karol stepped forward and produced a scrunched up note from his huge bag. "I wrote down some ideas." he started. "We'll be pairing up, no sense in solace as this is a group activity for us." he smiled, noticing he had everyone's attention. "For each kill, grab some spoils and at the end we tally who had the most and that pair is the winner."

"Time limit?" Judith asked, her eyes already gleaming with anticipation for combat.

"Uhm.. Two hours?" Karol answered a bit insecurely. "Would that be okay?"

"Two hours it is." Yuri nodded. The time seemed reasonable, not that much time for actual combat experience but just enough for them to gather the necessary monster drops to win. This activity was also coordinated to avoid injuries as Karol had made them team up, also the chance of getting lost was diminished with two people, lastly, this exercise offered the pairs some time to catch up. All in all, Yuri was quite pleased how well Karol had organized this event. "So, how do we go about picking teams? Rock-Paper-Scissors?"

"That's easy." Ravens grinned and suddenly appeared between Judy and Estelle, placing his hands on their hips from behind, hugging them towards him. Judith didn't seem to mind that much and intentionally egged him on. Estelle seemed to turn a few shades redder on her face and instinctively pulled herself away from him. "This is my team!" Raven said triumphantly.

"Well, one of us has to be a three-man cell anyway." Judith noted.

"I ah.." Estelle stammered, staring her feet uncomfortably. "I don't think this set up will work."

"Princess!" Raven said shocked. "You wound me!"

"I'll make the call." Karol said suddenly, unusual sprout of confidence rising from him. He considered his options for a while. He didn't want to team up those he knew would get nothing done except ague and fight each other, so Rita and Raven were no good. Actually, pairing Rita with anyone would likely cause the same effect. Repede and Yuri had already spent the year together, so there was no point I pairing them up. Pairing anyone with Repede seemed pointless anyway, since the dog was unable to take part in any conversation, for obvious reasons. Raven could not be paired up with Estelle, preferably not with Judith either. He himself would have preferred to go with Yuri but knew that they'd have time to catch up later, when Yuri would finally settle in Dahngrest and help up with the guild. He didn't want to be teamed up with Rita, self preservation instinct kicking in.

"This is taking too long!" Rita yelled. "If you seriously want us to partake in something as stupid as this, get on with it!

"Fine, but don't complain to me if you don't like your team!" Karol snapped back. "It'll be your own fault for hurrying me!"

"Whatever, just pick the teams! The mage shouted back.

Karol looked at the people before him, forming a semi-circle of sorts. He noticed that they were lined up pretty well if he was to pair them with the person standing next to them. "Okay, the person standing on your left is your partner."

The group looked around. "Hey, I don't have anyone standing on my left!" Raven said in surprise.

Karol sighed. "I know, that means we're a team." he already hated the idea.

The teams divided. Karol and Raven, Judith, Estelle and Repede and finally Yuri and Rita. The swordsman couldn't believe his luck, or the lack there of. He knew Rita's fiery temperament and knew she'd most likely want to get this over and done with as soon as possible which meant she'd hog all the over-limit to herself. He could already hear her frantic, battle juiced speech. _"Blah, blah, blah, Tidal Wave!"_ And he loved it all.

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"So, how have you been doing?" Yuri asked to fill a silent space between their battles. The air around them had been rather.. awkward for this whole hunting trip and Rita had offered no indication that she was about to change that.

The mage glanced over her shoulder towards the man behind him. "What kind of question is that?" she asked snidely. "Is there something specific you wanted to know or are you just filling the silence with a cliched and overly used question that actually bears no meaning?"

Not taken aback by Rita's outburst but instead rather enjoying it, Yuri smirked lightly and retorted. "Okay, something specific.." the swordsman mumbled, cradling his chin between his thumb and index finger. "How's the research going then?" he thought he'd start by something simple.

"It's not like you'd understand even if I explained it and you're not really interested in my research anyway." Rita bit. "Why don't you ask what you really have in mind?"

"Not one to beat around the bush?" Yuri laughed. "It seems you haven't changed all that much."

"Hmph!" Rita huffed and crossed her arms. "And you're just as annoying as ever! Honestly, I can't seem to figure you out sometimes!"

The swordsman was slightly surprised by Rita's answer. _"How am I difficult to read? It's not like I try to hide things or intentionally try to throw people off.." _

They made their way through the thick forests around the city. Sun was starting to set low in the sky, though it wouldn't be sunset for couple of more hours. The tree leaves rustled lightly in the breeze, the sand and grass beneath their feet made a mixture of slushy and grained sounds and occasionally a stick or a branch would snap from the weight of their booted feet. Yuri watched as the small woman strode before him and he noticed a small sway on her hips, it was completely feminine if a little less pronounced as that of say Judith for example. He wondered how he hadn't noticed that before. He came to a sudden stop as he pumped into something in front of him.

Yuri came crashing down, having lost his balance as his feet found no stable landing after the sudden halt in his movement. Instinctively he closed his eyes before he stumbled down, suddenly noticing that his landing had been softened by something. He opened his eyes and could only see two, deep green pools interlocked with his gray ones. He had fallen right on top of Rita, the mage girl was now tightly squeezed between him and the ground, his face mere inches away from hers. For a moment, the two simply stared at each other. Yuri was too lost in those captivating green eyes and his body was overloaded with different signals, sounds and smells emitting from the young woman beneath him. As if it was the most natural thing to do in this situation, he slowly, very slowly brought his face closer to hers all the while maintaining eye contact. His pulse quickened as Rita's lips parted slightly, invitingly, drawing him closer and closer. He felt the small draft of her breath on his cheek and nearly lost all control as Rita closed her eyes, a small blush rising on her cheeks, her actions granting him the permission to close the gap fully, to finally press his lips tenderly on hers...

**!SNAP!**

The two of them started rolling down the hill they had crashed on, their combined weight making the edge of the crevice give in. Yuri somehow managed to do a small forward roll, his feet finding solid enough ground beneath them to stop his movement. He looked around to see a small cloud of dust at the bottom of the cliff, which luckily, wasn't too steep and long. He slid down, quickly racing to the receding dust. "Hey, you alright?" his voice was laced slightly with panic, not being able to hide it with the raw emotions still lingering on his body. "Rita!" he shook her gently, carefully examining if she was visibly injured.

After he got her into a sitting position, the mage started coughing, getting the dust she had most likely just inhaled out of her lungs. "Here." Yuri finally offered her a bottle of water when she stopped.

"Thanks." Rita said hoarsly, the dust having dried her throat.

While awkwardly stealing glances from each other, the duo continued their hunt for a while more. They didn't spend the time in complete silence but both steered away from the subject now constanly plaguing their minds. At least, the almost kiss was instantly played on Yuri's eyes as soon as he closed them, heat starting to swell in his chest and groin fom rememberance. He couldn't tell what Rita was thinking, though her nervous glances towards him indicated that she too was thinking about it. Not wanting to be too smooth about it, being careful not to give Rita any wrong ideas about his intent, Yuri opened his mouth to speak.

"This is probably enough!" the mage stated more loudly than she intended, wanting to be the first to speak as she saw the swordsman about to do so. She flinched slightly from her tone, the urgency clearly visible even in her body language. "We should.. head back!"

"Alright." the vigilante sighed. He had hoped to settle this here, away from the prying eyes of others. Sadly, that was not to be.

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"Alright!" Karol yelled, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "We have a winner!"

Everyone gathered closer to him in the hall of Brave Vesperia's headquarters. The anticipation was not all that great, the hunt hadn't really been a contest, well, not to everyone.

"The winners by the slightly better score than others are..." he drew his announcement, hoping to spring some excitement. "Estelle, Judith and Repede!" Karol pronounced, popping a small tube cracker above them, sending small ribbons and pieces of paper flying above them. "Congrats guys!"

"Yay, we won!" Estelle seemed happy, even though she had been slightly against this activity in the start.

"Well, you did have the upper hand." Yuri smiled slightly. "With three members and all."

"Aw." Judith cooed and stepped closer to Yuri. "Who knew you were such a sore loser?" she traced his chin with her finger and winked at him seductively.

The man swallowed heavily and glanced at Rita quickly, trying not to get noticed watching. Rita was leaning on one of the tables in the hall, her arms crossed over her chest in their usual manner and she was looking to the side, her face slightly downcast. Yuri wasn't sure if she had seen this little exchange, but if she had, she certainly wasn't making any kind of outward indication of it.

"This is so unfair.." Raven sighed in defeat. "I'm a sore loser too.." he pouted towards Judith, hoping to receive the same kind of attention she had offered to Yuri.

"My, my." the lancer giggled. "Aren't you boys such a group of sore losers." she smiled innocently, though everyone in the group already knew there was no such thing as innocent with Judy.

"I'm not!" Karol quickly defended. "Anyway.." he quickly began, seeing Judy making her way to him with a wicked smirk on her beautiful face."I hadn't really thought of anything other to do.. Maybe we could have an outdoor dinner?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Karol!" Estelle cheered, clasping her hands together eagerly. "It's such a beautiful evening, clear and crisp!"

Flynn took a few step closer to the Princess. "I bet the stars are something to see at night, when it's this clear outside."

"Yes." the pink haired woman nodded. "There's a beach near by isn't there Karol?"

"Uhm, yeah, it's not that far from here!" he said with enthusiasm. "That's a great idea Estelle!" he continued, taking his excited crouching position. "We can have a barbeque on the beach, make a large bonfire, play all kinds of games!"

"Not ta mention dipping to ta sea." Raven whistled low. "I mean all these babes in bikinis." he said giddily, closing his eyes to make a mental image. His thoughts turned to a blur as something hit him hard in the head.

"Idiot." Rita said angrily, her trademark smack cracking on the older man's head.

"Alright, let's do this then!" Yuri smiled, ushering everyone out. "Could you guys bring the entertainment?" he asked a group of his guild members, standing close by. "Karol will give you a list of what to get."

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It was already around nine a clock in the evening as Rita made her way closer to the buffet, hoping to grab something relatively light to eat at this late an hour. Yuri followed her with his eyes, still maintaining a respectable distance as the genius mage didn't seem all that enthusiastic to engage in a conversation. The swordsman spotted Estelle approaching Rita, grabbing her had, trying hard to get her closer to the water.

The evening had turned out to be a bit chilly, so no one dared to go swim (much to Raven's disappointment) but a few of the group did stroll back and forth on the shore line, getting their feet wet on the foamy waves washing over the sand. Yuri didn't bother with it though, and it seemed Rita didn't either as both of them were still wearing their earlier clothes. Others had changed into something a bit shorter on their legs, to prevent getting wet clothes, which were undeniably uncomfortable to be in.

Rita shook her head vigorously at the warmhearted Princess, pulling her hand away from hers. Estelle pouted slightly but was happy oblige Flynn, who suddenly guided her towards the moist sand, holding her hand as they went. _"Looks like I might have been right.." _Yuri smirked, happy for the two. He was slightly concerned however, since there were rumors flying around the capital about the nobility's idea of engaging Estelle and Ioder. An arranged marriage between the two would certainly improve the relations between the council and the Imperial knights but things hardly ever were as simple as they seemed.

Mustering up his courage, Yuri approached the small woman, now seated on a makeshift bench made from a large driftwood log. She was nibbling silently on her late dinner, seemingly lost in thought so she didn't notice the swordsman's approach. He sat down next to her, catching a sideways glance of her face, which seemed to glow beautifully in the warm glow of the bonfire before them. "Hey." Yuri greeted silently, still keeping his eyes at the others, running around the beach.

"Hey.." Rita returned the greeting, her voice merely above a whisper.

For once deciding to leave his snide comments and aloof attitude aside, Yuri gently placed his hand on her small shoulder, waiting until she turned to look at him. "Do you think.. we could go somewhere to talk?" he asked, his usual confidence abandoning him in his blight. "Somewhere, more private?"

Although it was difficult to distinguish in the warm glow of the fire, Yuri was certain he could see a blush rising to her face. He took it as a good sign, her long silence however, was threatening to turn him mad. After what seemed like an eternity, Rita nodded and rose to her feet. After placing her plate down on the bench, she quickly dusted the sand from the hem of her tunic and waited Yuri to lead them to his desired location.

They made their way more towards inland, Yuri wanting to make sure they were not disturbed. He walked slowly, trying his best to come up with a strategy to approach this matter. As his feet started walking on grass instead of sand, he finally stopped and sat down, hoping Rita would follow his example. She sat down next to him but made sure to keep a certain safe distance, she was noticeably upset as she brought her knees to her chest and rested her hands on her ankles, her chin taking support from one of her knees. From where they were sitting, Yuri noticed that they had a perfect view of the ocean and the foamy waves hitting the beach, the stars shone brightly above them and the large bonfire they had made with the whole group now looked like a small flame from a match.

"So.." Yuri started but was quickly silenced as he felt something warm resting on his shoulder. He glanced to his side, noticing how Rita slightly inched closer to him, resting her head on him. He smiled warmly but dared not to speak, he was afraid it would ruin the moment. The two sat there a moment, completely satisfied with the silence, feeling no need to break the comfortable stillness that now surrounded them.

"Look!" Rita suddenly said, pointing a slender finger towards the sky. "A shooting star."

And indeed as Yuri looked up, a star was racing quickly it way across the horizon, disappearing somewhere beneath the ocean currents. "Pretty." he stated in awe, both at the star and at Rita. There was a magical sparkle in her eyes as she watched the star, a small smile adorned her cute face and the small breeze coming from the sea made her short, brunette hair wave calmly, framing her face beautifully.

Rita turned around to look at Yuri, who was now openly staring at her, not making any moves to hide it. The mage turned her face away for a while, trying to will the blush rising to her cheeks away. It didn't work but she didn't seem to mind as she turned back to look at Yuri, their eyes meeting once again, staring each other intently. "Pretty." Yuri stated again, a confident grin marking his mouth as he managed to make her blush once more, even more profusely than before.

"I-idiot!" Rita hissed quite loudly, tensing up as Yuri snaked his arm around her.

"Yeah, maybe I am." the man responded, still smiling though. "But you'll forgive this idiot when-!" his talk was cut short as suddenly, very quickly two soft lips pressed against his, engaging him in a tentative kiss. He didn't react quite quickly enough as she soon withdrew from him, unshed tears moistening the corners of her eyes. He recovered from the initial surprise with haste, rushing to feel those lips on his again. He leaned them downwards, gently laying her down on the grass all the while supporting her small frame like she was made from glass.

Rita rested on her back and Yuri half climbed on top of her, still keeping his legs on her side but laying some of his torso on top of hers. He supported his weight on his elbow, allowing Rita to use the crook of it as a comfort for her neck. The swordsman had never know such tranquility as he was carefully allowed to explore her lips with his, the ecstasy of it all sending lightning coursing through his veins. He forced his tongue into her mouth and began to explore, finding it easy to dominate her inexperienced one. She released a small, primal gutter from the depths of her throat, the sound resonating intensely in his mouth. He released her small, pink lips and quickly placed his mouth on her neck, sucking and licking it hectically with no rhythm to speak of. Yuri kissed her neck, traced her jawline with his tongue, sucked on top of her windpipe and was more than happy to absorb all the little whimpers and moans that escaped her mouth.

As the pace of their kisses intensified, Yuri grunted as his pants suddenly felt a little tight for comfort. Rita's flustered face and her little sounds didn't help the matter so he couldn't help but to bring one of his hands to gently cup her breast, kneading it through the fabric relentless abandon. He felt Rita's buck her hips forward, egging him on to continue, forbidding him from stopping his ministrations which at this point were far from timid and gentle.

"Yuri.." she whispered his name painfully as he squeezed a hardened nipple between his thumb and index finger. He rolled it around feverishly all the while kissing her from neck up. Yuri repositioned himself, crawling to wholly topple her, his knee parting her thighs so that he was able place weight on it. The knee now wedged between her tights pressed on her core slightly, providing just enough friction to send Rita over the edge. The small mage achieved her very first climax as Yuri filled her mouth with his tongue, his hand kneaded on her breast and his knee pressed on her womanhood.

The swordsman suddenly felt Rita tensing up slightly, the hands she had placed on her back clenched tightly, scrunching the fabric of his tunic tightly into her fists. Her expression was that of bliss, so he knew her sudden lack of movement was due to pleasure not pain. He crashed on top of her, feeling rather spent even though he had really done nothing.

The waves of raw pleasure seemed to subside in Rita as she began to relax, breathing heavily under Yuri. He climbed up, smiling contently as their eyes met for the first time during this act. Rita's eyes glistened and she had a small, shy smile spread across her lips. A single bead of sweat ran down her cheek onto her chin and from there continued down over her windpipe, before disappearing to the canyon of her cleavage. No words needed to be said as the two looked each other in the eyes, knowing this would mark a whole new chapter in their lives

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A/N: Here is another chapter out for you guys! Hope you enjoy it!

Thank you all who took the time to read the first chapter and thank you for all the  
watches/favorites, they mean a lot to me!

Special thanks to PhantomDark, a guest reviewer for my first ever review!  
Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as well!

-FluffyDireBunny-


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